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Severe Tropical Storm Jangmi brought heavy rainfall across Tokyo and other parts of Japan on Wednesday, triggering flooding, transport disruptions, flight cancellations and evacuation warnings affecting thousands of residents.
The storm left many trains sparsely occupied in and around the Japanese capital as commuters stayed home to avoid the severe weather. Several rail services were delayed or suspended, while some schools were closed.
As the storm moved north from southern Japan, authorities issued evacuation advisories for about 370,000 people from the Tokyo region to Shikoku Island in western Japan.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara urged residents to closely monitor evacuation notices from local authorities and take precautionary measures whenever they felt at risk.
“Please continue to pay close attention to evacuation information from your local authorities, and if you feel even the slightest sense of danger, do not hesitate to take early action to protect your life,” top government spokesman Kihara told a news conference Wednesday.
According to the government, the storm flooded roads, uprooted trees, triggered landslides and forced the closure of some expressways. Officials also reported about 60,000 power outages.
Kihara warned that the risk of landslides remained high even in areas where rainfall had eased, as previous downpours had weakened the ground.
“Even in areas where the rain has subsided, the ground may have been loosened by previous rainfall and the risk of landslides remains,” he cautioned.
The storm also disrupted air travel, with Japan’s two largest carriers, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, cancelling a combined 616 flights, including 92 international services.
At Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, numerous international flights to destinations including Sydney, Singapore, London and Bangkok were either cancelled.
Heavy rainfall caused rivers in eastern and western Japan, including those around Tokyo, to swell significantly, although weather authorities later lifted several flood warnings issued earlier in the day.
By mid-afternoon, the Japan Meteorological Agency said the storm was moving away from the country and heading east into the Pacific Ocean. The storm had already injured 15 people in southern Japan on Tuesday.
